Sensing data input

Abstract

A user input device includes a sensor capable of sensing surface relief of human skin, a movement detector responsive to variation of the output of the sensor for detecting movement of skin across the sensor, and a user interface apparatus responsive to the movement detector to alert its state in correspondence to the detected movement.

1. A user input device comprising:
 a sensor capable of sensing surface relief of human skin comprising: 
 a plurality of sensing units arranged in a substantially planar array such that the sensor comprises a first sensing section comprising a linear array of sensing units extending in a first direction and a second sensing section comprising a linear array of sensing units extending in a second direction, wherein the sensing units are more closely spaced in the first direction than in the second direction; 
 
     the user input device further comprising:
 a movement detector responsive to variation of the output of the sensor for detecting movement of skin over the sensor; and 
 user interface apparatus responsive to the movement detector to alter its state in correspondence to the detected movement; 
 wherein the movement detector is operable to compare successive outputs from the first sensing section to detect movement in the first direction and to compare successive outputs from the second sensing section to detect movement in the second direction; the movement detector being further operable to determine a composite direction of movement across the sensor from a combination of the detected movement in the first direction and the detected movement in the second direction. 
 
   
   
     2. A device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the sensing units are optical sensing units. 
   
   
     3. A device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the sensor is a finger print sensor. 
   
   
     4. A device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the movement detector is responsive to variation of the output of the sensor for determining the direction of movement of skin across the sensor. 
   
   
     5. A device as claimed in  claim 1 , including storage apparatus capable of storing successive outputs from the sensor in a memory so as to form a record of the surface relief of skin drawn across the sensor. 
   
   
     6. A device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the user interface apparatus includes a display and a display controller capable of controlling the display so as to cause at least part of an image to move across the display in correspondence to detected movement across the sensor. 
   
   
     7. A device as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the display controller is capable of controlling the display so as to cause the said at least part of an image to move across the display in apparently the same direction as the detected movement across the sensor. 
   
   
     8. A device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the sensor is capable of sensing relative rotation of skin and the sensor. 
   
   
     9. A communication terminal comprising a user input device as claimed in  claim 1 . 
   
   
     10. A method of operation in a user input device comprising a sensor capable of sensing surface relief of human skin, wherein the sensor comprises a plurality of sensing units arranged in a substantially planar array such that the sensor comprises a first sensing section extending in a first direction and a second sensing section extending in a second direction, wherein the sensing units are more closely spaced in the first direction than in the second direction, the method comprising:
 detecting movement of skin over the sensor; and 
 altering the state of user interface apparatus in response to the detected movement 
 
     wherein detecting movement of skin over the sensor further comprises:
 comparing successive outputs from the first sensing section to detect movement in the first direction; 
 comparing successive outputs from the second sensing section to detect movement in the second direction; and 
 determining a composite direction of movement across the sensor from a combination of the detected movement in the first direction and the detected movement in the second direction.